Manny Pacquiao's Mother Praying for End of Boxing Career?

(Photo: REUTERS)

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines rises from the canvas after being knocked down by Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in the third round of their welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Manny Pacquiao's mother prayed to God for the Filipino congressman and 33-year-old pugilist to retire.

Pacquiao's mother, Dionisia Pacquiao, appeared on the GMA network this weekend where she spoke about praying to God for her son to stop fighting.

"I have long asked you son, it is time to retire because you started boxing at such a young age. I always pray that he will stop," Ms. Pacquiao said about her son on the network. "I asked God to tell my son to stop."

Pacquiao's mother was forced to watch her 33-year-old Christian son get knocked out in a sixth-round defeat against Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8. Although Dionisia admitted that she did not like to watch her son fight live, she admitted to being overwhelmed when she watched him get knocked unconscious.

"I was shocked yesterday," she said. "The way he suddenly fell."

However, Dionisia is not the first person to call for Pacquiao to hang up his boxing gloves. Archbishop Oscar Cruz, senior member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, reportedly saw the boxer's loss to Timothy Bradley last summer most as a sign that he may need to quit boxing.

"We're very happy he has found his way after a spiritual conversion of some kind," Cruz said in a Super Sport report. "But he should quit now and just continue to inspire the people with his other pursuits."

After Pacquiao's most recent loss to Marquez, his wife, Jinkee Pacquiao, appeared alongside the boxer on GMA networks. When asked about her feelings concerning Pacquiao's retirement, she brought tears to her husband's eyes by admitting that she wanted him to end his boxing career.

"When you see your husband get hurt, you cannot even sleep," Jinkee said. "You know the answer to that. He knows what I am asking him."

While Pacquiao did not say he was ready to hang up his gloves just yet, the pugilist said he does not want to hurt his supporters.

"I don't want to hurt my family and the people who support them," Pacquiao told GMA.